Floods caused by continuous heavy rainfall and mountain runoff have submerged over 300 villages across six upazilas in southern Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar, including Banshkhali, with nearly 500,000 people trapped in their homes due to flash floods.
Preliminary estimates indicate property damage worth approximately BDT 3 billion. 51 people have died, and 39 others have been injured so far in accidents related to floods and landslides, according to data from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. The ongoing disaster has affected nearly 1.02 million (1,022,963) people, with over 44,000 taking shelter in relief centres.
The Flood Forecasting & Warning Centre of the Bangladesh Water Development Board has meanwhile stated that water levels in rivers in several districts of the northeastern, northern and southeastern regions may rise and exceed danger levels within the next 24 hours. This could lead to short-term flood conditions in low-lying areas adjacent to the rivers.
Despite various areas of Chattogram having been flooded due to the ongoing floods and landslides, the situation in Banshkhali is the most critical. Local residents and experts blame not only the heavy rainfall and upstream runoff but also the construction of unplanned infrastructure and the occupation of local rivers and canals for this situation. They also allege that influential groups have created artificial barriers by closing sluice gates and building dams to protect fish and salt farms.
Despite being a relatively high-lying area, Banshkhali, one of the key upazilas of South Chattogram, is facing a devastating flood this time. The four-day-long flood has caused damage worth around BDT 1.76 billion. Locals say this is the most severe flood in the upazila’s history since the catastrophic cyclone and tidal surge of 1991. They attribute this to the construction of the Ch-Cox’s Bazar railway on the eastern side of Banshkhali, the construction of unplanned public and private installations, including the Banshkhali Coal Power Plant, and the occupation of nearly 80 percent of local canals — including the Jalkadar canal, Baro Gunagari chhara and Chambal chhara — alongside the local Sangu river.
Locals state that the Jalkadar canal, once 200 feet wide, has now shrunk to just 20 feet due to illegal occupation and landfilling, with various private structures and homes built over it. 90 percent of the Gunagari chhara (creek) has also been occupied, with homesteads, business establishments and various infrastructure built on the encroached land. If the government does not excavate new canals and recover the occupied ones, even more catastrophic floods could occur in the future, they claim.
Mohammad Alamgir, a resident of Gunagari in Banshkhali and an assistant professor at the Bangladesh Army International University of Science & Technology, told Bonik Barta, “This is the biggest flood in Banshkhali since 1991. While the death toll was higher back then, the damage to life and property is much greater this time. People’s paddy, salt and fish have been washed away. The main reasons for the severity of this flood are the illegal occupation of the Sangu River, Jalkadar canal and the Gunagari Boro chhara. Yet, Gunagari is the most developed village in the entire upazila; it was declared a ‘model village’ around 2001. People have settled and built various structures without any planning. Despite being next to the hills, the water hasn’t receded even after five days. Water flow has been blocked due to structures built by encroaching on the canals. The sluice gates meant for drainage have been leased out, and the leaseholders are catching fish using nets, which obstruct the water flow. Banshkhali is in this state today due to the loss of navigability and illegal occupation of the rivers. If steps aren’t taken immediately, the people of this upazila will face even greater devastation in the future.”
Heavy rain on Sunday caused severe waterlogging on various roads in the capital. A woman faced great difficulty while travelling by scooter on Green Road.
Experts say one of the main reasons for the devastating floods in southern Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar this time is the filling of the Sangu and Matamuhuri rivers, the two main rivers of the region, to build dams, install enclosures for fish farming and construct structures in the char (shoal) areas. More than one-third of the Sangu and Matamuhuri rivers in Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar have been occupied, according to the Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA). Illegal sand and stone extraction, construction of structures by encroaching on rivers, building dams with nets for fishing, and the occupation of the tributary canals and mountain creeks of these rivers cause many areas to submerge after even minor rainfall. The organisation claims that waterways were not kept open during the construction of the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar railway line.
Regarding this, Idris Ali, vice president of BAPA Chattogram, said, “We’ve disturbed nature and constructed infrastructure while going against the climate. We’ve altered the flow of water. The navigability of the Karnaphuli, Sangu and Matamuhuri rivers has been destroyed due to sand extraction using dredgers. Many parts have been occupied. As a result, they lack water-carrying capacity. When heavy rain occurs in the hills, its impact directly hits the residential areas.”
Banshkhali Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Ruhul Amin told Bonik Barta, “There hasn’t been such a devastating flood in Banshkhali before, which is why the losses of people are quite high. This situation has been caused by the rainfall and mountain runoff of the last few days. Many unplanned infrastructures have been built here, and canals have been encroached. Due to these, water drainage isn’t happening quickly. We’ve opened 86 sluice gates in the upazila. Many of these are quite old. We’ve recommended renovating or reconstructing them to be suitable for the current times. In some places, the water level rose so high that it wasn’t possible to drain the water through the sluice gates. Later, we cut through some roads and embankments in a few locations to facilitate water movement. But about a hundred thousand people are still waterlogged.”
Usually, the mountain runoff from southern Chattogram and Bandarban flows into the Bay of Bengal through the Maheshkhali channel via the Sangu and Matamuhuri rivers. Forty kilometres of the 146-kilometre-long Matamuhuri River falls within Chakaria, Pekua and Matamuhuri upazilas. Nearly 40 percent of this river has been occupied by locals. Along with homesteads, various illegal structures have been built. Barriers have been created to block water flow for fish farming enclosures.
Kabir Hossain, a resident of Pekua, told Bonik Barta, “Despite the home minister’s direction that all sluice gates and water bodies be kept free of leases, an influential group has occupied these water bodies to farm fish. Although they have been opened a few times under public pressure, it isn’t sufficient. If these are kept open during other times except high tide, the water will recede. In many places, people are cutting various roads and embankments to create pathways for the water to drain.”
When asked about this, Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md A Mannan told Bonik Barta, “All measures are being taken to control the flood situation. If anyone does such a thing (illegal occupation/obstruction), the administration will take action. 250,000 people in three upazilas of Cox’s Bazar have been affected. This situation has mainly been created due to excessive rainfall and mountain runoff. We hope the flood will be brought under control within two to three days.”
Professor Dr AKM Saiful Islam of the Institute of Water and Flood Management at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) believes that this flood situation is due to unplanned development, ineffective embankments and river encroachment. He told Bonik Barta, “The cause of the floods in Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar is mountain runoff and climate change. Due to the lack of proper land management, flooding has occurred because of the rain. In particular, due to the occupation of wetlands, canals and rivers, water is overflowing and entering residential areas. Again, water can’t drain due to indiscriminate sand and stone extraction and ineffective sluice gates. Influential groups are creating obstacles by building dams for fishing. These need to be controlled.”
Heavy rainfall has been occurring due to increased atmospheric pressure in the Bay of Bengal caused by a low-pressure system that formed off the Odisha coast on July 5, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department and the Flood Forecasting & Warning Centre. 93 millimetres of rainfall were recorded in the past 24 hours in Panchpukuria in Chattogram, according to the Flood Forecasting & Warning Centre. As this has continued for several consecutive days, coupled with mountain runoff, most areas are being flooded. Due to the heavy rainfall, areas along the banks of the Sangu and Matamuhuri rivers in southern Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar — specifically Banshkhali, Satkania, Lohagara and the Chakaria, Pekua and Matamuhuri upazilas of Cox's Bazar — have been submerged.
Meanwhile, the Flood Forecasting & Warning Centre of the Bangladesh Water Development Board stated Sunday that river water levels in several districts of the northeastern, northern and southeastern regions of the country may rise and exceed the danger level in some places within the next 24 to 48 hours. This poses a risk of short-term flooding in low-lying areas adjacent to the rivers. According to the data, water levels in various rivers in Sylhet, Sunamganj, Feni, Lakshmipur, Noakhali, Netrokona, Sherpur, Mymensingh, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts may rise and exceed the danger limit in some areas within the next 24 hours. This could lead to short-term flood conditions in the low-lying areas adjacent to the rivers in these districts. But the water levels of the Sangu and Matamuhuri rivers in Bandarban, Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar districts may decrease in the next 24 hours. This raises the possibility of an improvement in the flood situation in the low-lying areas adjacent to these rivers.
According to the Flood Forecasting & Warning Centre, 93 millimetres of rainfall were recorded in the past 24 hours in Panchpukuria in Chattogram.